Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) may be provided with many different styles and operational behaviors. When faced with a frustrating and difficult to use GUI, many users elect not to return, resulting in low customer conversion and retention rates. Decreasing a user's frustration and confusion when interfacing with a GUI may improve rates for customer conversion, retention and satisfaction. Improving customer satisfaction with regard to GUI interactions may significantly improve brand awareness and profitability.
An example of a frustration which a user may experience with regard to an interaction with a GUI is being required to register or login as a user at an inconvenient moment in time. An untimely GUI interaction may cause a user to lose his train of thought and as a result become distracted and/or become annoyed. GUIs may also complicate the interaction of a user by funneling a user with different goals from other users through the same execution path, and as a result may require a user to perform unnecessary efforts and tasks which may not be related to the user's specific goals but to the goals of other users. GUIs may also complicate and increases times for interaction by requiring a user to enter information with several different displays of information, instead of presenting the user with a streamlined, uncomplicated, efficient and easy to use interface. Another example of a difficulty a user may experience in interfacing with a GUI is requiring the user to enter information which may be unnecessary or secondary for completing the task at hand. Additionally, a user may be unnecessarily required to enter information by a GUI for which it may be possible to derive the information from other entered information or from a combination of entered information and archived information. Also, when interfacing with a GUI, a user may enter incomplete, erroneous and/or unsupported information and as a result the entire record of information entered by user may be rejected, discounted or ignored, even though some of the information which was entered may have been valid, accurate and even useful.
Currency tracking Internet websites operate to allow its users to initiate tracking of currencies in their possession. For example, after marking a currency and entering a record of information for the currency to the currency tracking website, a user may be able to track future locations and statistics related to the travels of the currency as other users find the currency and add records of information related to the currency's geographic location, date and time. Additionally, persons finding marked currencies may use currency tracking websites to analyze the geographic travels and statistics for currency notes which they find in their possession.
The physical description and design of sovereign currencies can be complicated. The complications are often added by sovereign nations in order to thwart counterfeiters or currency. Attempting to find a certain feature of a currency note can be difficult due to the complicated nature of a bill's design, features and structure. For example, a currency note may have a security thread, micro-printed text, intricate color scheme, portrait, denomination, serial number, signatures, series identifier, watermarks, seals emblems and symbols. The complex design of sovereign currencies can result in frustrations for users of currency tracking websites attempting to find information located on the currencies which may be required by the websites in order to support searching and tracking currency notes.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional display of information as viewed by a user on a GUI for a currency tracking Internet website.
An information display 100 includes a display area 102, a denomination selection input 104, a bill series selection input 106, a serial number input 108, a zip code input 110, a possession radio selection 112, a text input 114 and a submit selection 116.
Display area 102 may operate to display information to user (not shown). Non-limiting examples of information which may be displayed include text, graphics, input selections, text inputs, selection boxes, radio selections and submit selections.
Denomination selection input 104 may operate to receive a selection for the denomination of the currency to be analyzed. Non-limiting examples of denominations which may be selected include $1, $2, $5 $10, $20, $50, and $100. Bill series selection input 106 may operate to receive a selection for the series of the currency to be analyzed. Non-limiting examples of bill series which may be selected include 2006, 2003A, 2003, 2009, 2001, 1999, 1995, 1993, 1988, 1988A, 1985, 1981, 1981A, 1977, 1977A, 1974, 1969, 1969A-D, 1963A-B and 1963. Zip code input 110 may operate to receive a zip code indicating the geographic location of the currency. Possession radio selection 112 may operate to allow a user to select whether the currency being analyzed may currently be in the user's possession or not. Text input 114 may operate to allow a user to input textual information related to a currency note in order for the bill to be analyzed and processed. Non-limiting example of information which may be entered into text input 114 includes location and condition of currency. Submit selection 116 may operate to allow user to signal when information entered or selected in information display 100 has been completed.
FIG. 1 illustrates how a conventional GUI may initially request a multiplicity of information from a seeker, and which some of the information may have been unnecessarily requested in relation to finding, analyzing and processing information for a currency note.
FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting a conventional regionalized client/server communication system which may be used by an exemplary web-enabled/networked embodiment or embodiments of the present invention.
A communication system 200 includes a multiplicity of networked regions with a sampling of regions denoted as a network region 202 and a network region 204, a global network 206 and a multiplicity of servers with a sampling of servers denoted as a server device 208 and a server device 210.
Network region 202 and network region 204 may operate to represent a network contained within a geographical area or region. Non-limiting examples of representations for the geographical areas for the networked regions may include postal zip codes, telephone area codes, states, counties, cities and countries. Elements within network region 202 and 204 may operate to communicate with external elements within other networked regions or within elements contained within the same network region.
In some implementations, global network 206 may operate as the Internet. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that communication system 200 may take many different forms. Non-limiting examples of forms for communication system 200 include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wired telephone networks, cellular telephone networks or any other network supporting data communication between respective entities via hardwired or wireless communication networks. Global network 206 may operate to transfer information between the various networked elements.
Server device 208 and server device 210 may operate to execute software instructions, store information and communicate with other networked elements. Non-limiting examples of software and scripting languages which may be executed on server device 208 and server device 210 include PHP, Perl, C, C++, C# and Java.
Network region 202 may operate to communicate bi-directionally with global network 206 via a communication channel 212. Network region 204 may operate to communicate bi-directionally with global network 206 via a communication channel 214. Server device 208 may operate to communicate bi-directionally with global network 206 via a communication channel 216. Server device 210 may operate to communicate bi-directionally with global network 206 via a communication channel 218. Network region 202 and 204, global network 206 and server devices 208 and 210 may operate to communicate with each other and with every other networked device located within communication system 200.
Server device 208 includes a networking device 220 and a server 222. Networking device 220 may operate to communicate bi-directionally with global network 206 via communication channel 216 and with server 222 via a communication channel 224. Server 222 may operate to execute software instructions and store information.
Network region 202 includes a multiplicity of clients with a sampling denoted as a client 226 and a client 228. Client 226 includes a networking device 234, a processor 236, a GUI 238 and an interface device 240. Non-limiting examples of devices for GUI 238 include monitors, televisions, cellular telephones, smartphones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Non-limiting examples of interface device 240 include pointing device, mouse, trackball, scanner and printer. Networking device 234 may communicate bi-directionally with global network 206 via communication channel 212 and with processor 236 via a communication channel 242. GUI 238 may receive information from processor 236 via a communication channel 244 for display to a user for viewing. Interface device 240 may operate to send control information to processor 236 and to receive information from processor 236 via a communication channel 246. Network region 204 includes a multiplicity of clients with a sampling denoted as a client 230 and a client 232. Client 230 includes a networking device 248, a processor 250, a GUI 252 and an interface device 254. Non-limiting examples of devices for GUI 238 include monitors, televisions, cellular telephones, smartphones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Non-limiting examples of interface device 240 include pointing devices, mousse, trackballs, scanners and printers. Networking device 248 may communicate bi-directionally with global network 206 via communication channel 214 and with processor 250 via a communication channel 256. GUI 252 may receive information from processor 250 via a communication channel 258 for display to a user for viewing. Interface device 254 may operate to send control information to processor 250 and to receive information from processor 250 via a communication channel 260.
For example, consider the case where a user interfacing with client 226 may want to operate to track a currency note using information display 100 (FIG. 1). A user may enter the IP (Internet Protocol) address for information display 100 using interface device 240. The IP address information may be communicated to processor 236 via communication channel 246. Processor 236 may then communicate the IP address information to networking device 234 via communication channel 242. Networking device 234 may then communicate the IP address information to global network 206 via communication channel 212. Global network 206 may then communicate the IP address information to networking device 220 of server device 208 via communication channel 216. Networking device 220 may then communicate the IP address information to server 222 via communication channel 224. Server 222 may receive the IP address information and after processing the IP address information may communicate display information to networking device 220 via communication channel 224. Networking device 220 may communicate the display information to global network 206 via communication channel 216. Global network 206 may communicate the display information to networking device 234 via communication channel 212. Networking device 234 may communicate the display information to processor 236 via communication channel 242. Processor 236 may communicate the display information to GUI 238 via communication channel 244. User may then view information display 100 (FIG. 1) on GUI 238. Using interface device 240, user may enter information for display area 102 (FIG. 1) by selecting an appropriate denomination for denomination selection input 104 (FIG. 1), an appropriate bill series for bill series selection input 106 (FIG. 1), an appropriate serial number for serial number input 108 (FIG. 1), an appropriate zip code for zip code input 110 (FIG. 1), an appropriate selection for possession radio selection 112 (FIG. 1) and appropriate text information for text input 114 (FIG. 1). User may enter the zip code of the geographic region describing network region 202, as geographic location for client 226 may be within network region 202. Using interface device 240, user may then select submit selection 116 (FIG. 1) to communicate the information to server 222 in the same manner as previously discussed. Server 222 may receive the information and process it accordingly. After processing, server 222 may transmit new display information to GUI 238 for user to view using a similar process as previously described. Non-limiting examples of information transmitted to GUI 238 include affirmation of finding information for the currency, requests for more information regarding the currency, requests for user account information and requests for user to create an account. The process for the software, executing on server 222, requesting additional information and user supplying additional information in response, may be repeated several times in order for a final resolution to be determined for the currency note. In many cases, the repeated process of the software executing on server 222 requesting additional information from a user may cause user to give up on receiving final resolution for tracking the currency. Additionally the software executing on server 222 may operate to request unnecessary information for tracking currencies and as a result needlessly frustrate users. Furthermore, the software executing on server 222 may operate to interfere with a user's train of thought by requesting the user enter information for logging in at inopportune moments of time. Furthermore, user may enter partially erroneous information resulting in the software executing on server 222 rejecting the user entry, although some of the information entered by the user was valid, correct and potentially useful.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved techniques for providing GUIs for currency tracking websites.
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.